Traffic warning signal



June 30, 1953 w GINSBERG 2,644,152

TRAFFIC WARNING SIGNAL Filed uafcn 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F /'g- 8 vi I i l Fig.7

49. 1 Walter F. Ginsberg IN V EN TOR.

J1me 1953 w. F. GINSBERG 2,644,152

TRAFFIC WARNING SIGNAL Filed March 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I9 24 30Fig.3

1 5 /0 t 1 I? i 34 ll 3 I Fig. 5

Walter F. Ginsbem INVENTOR.

Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAFFIC WARNINGSIGNAL Walter F. Ginsberg, Anaconda, Mont.

. Application March 16, 1950, Serial No. 149,958

4 Claims. '1

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in highwaywarning signals and more particularly to an oscillating signal which maybe mounted on a vehicle or used independ= ently of the vehicle as aself-contained portable traffic warning signal.

An important object of the invention is to provide a warning signalhaving an oscillating lamp operated by an electric motor and providing aflashing contact for the lamp and with separate control means forenergizing the lamp and for operating the motor to use the signal eitherwith or without an oscillating movement.

A further object is to provide a Warning signal of simple, practical andcompact construction, which is eflicient and reliable in operation,relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for thepurposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which: v

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the warn ing signal mounted ontop of a motor vehicle;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of theoscillating shaft for the lamp;

Figure 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the conductor plates for theoscillating contact;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on a line 5--5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on a line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is a diagram of the electric circuit for the lamp and motor;and 3 Figure 8 is aside elevational view of a portable signal.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein, for the purpose ofillustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention,the numeral 5 designates a motor housing having an attaching flange 6 atits lower edge for attaching to the top of a motor vehicle.

An electric motor 8 of a conventional type such as commonly used. foroscillating windshield wiper blades, is employed for oscillating shaft 9of the motor which is mounted in housing 5 by means of a hanger plate 8asecured to the under side of the housing by bolts and nuts l and withrubber cushions or spacers between the plate and the housing, and shaft9 extends upwardly 2 in a hollow lower end I2 of a shaft 13 secured tothe shaft 9 by set screws l4. Shaft l3 extends upwardly into thebottomoi a bearing housing secured on top of motor housing 5 by bolts and nutsIS, the sleeve being formed with a grooved. ball bearing race I! for aball bearing assembly.

It in the bearing housing.

Shaft l3 rises from race through a cap 2U secured on top of bearinghousing l1 and is" threaded, as at l9, at its upper end and formed withdiverging hollow arms 2| projecting horizontally at its upper end andsecured to the rear of a pair of horizontal lamp housings 22. A bracket23 is also attached to the rear of the lamp housings and is secured ontop of a sleeve 24 by a nut 25 threaded on shaft 13, the sleeve 24 alsobeing secured toshaft |3 by set screws 26. A lens 21 is mounted on frontof each lamp housing to face in opposite directions from each otherandmay be suitably colored.

Bracket 23 is held from turning on shaft 13 by a clip 28 secured to thebracket and engaging a pin 29 projecting horizontally from nut 25.

A bracket ,36 is clamped to lower end [2 of shaft I3 and in which acarbon brush or other suitable contact is supported in averticalposition in wiping engagement with a group of three conductorplates. 31, 38,- and 39'. The conductor plates include a pair of arcuateend plates 31 and 39 and a relatively short center plate 3.8,

all of the plates being mounted in an arcuate path on aninsulation sheet40 secured to hanger 39 and a wire 4| leads from. plates 3'! and 3!! toa stationary contact 42 while a wire 43 leads from center plate 38 to asecond stationary contact 44. A sliding push and pull switch 45 isformed with an insulated front end 46 and a. conductor band 41 at itsrear end connected to the battery 49 of the electric system of thevehicle on which the signal is mounted. Conductor band 41 is held out ofcont-act with both contacts 42 and 44 when switch 45 is pushed inwardlyor toward the right, as shown. in Figure 7, to cut off the circuit forlamps 3| as well as for the motor 8, and switch 45 closes the circuitwith contact 42 for energizing lamps 3| upon an initial outward movementof the switch and closes the circuit with motor 8, while the circuit forthe lamps remain closed, upon a subsequent outward movement of theswitch.

In Figure 8, I have illustrated a portable warn ing signal in which themotor housing 511 is mounted on top of a battery case 49 for operatingthe signal by a battery (not shown) in the battery case, to provide aself-contained portable warning signal.

A modified oscillating shaft 13a is also shown in Figure 8 for a singlelamp housing 22a and which may be substituted for the double lamps 22 ifdesired, the construction of the device being otherwise similar to thatillustrated in Figures 1 to '7, inclusive. I

In either form of the invention, switch 55 is pulled outwardly to slideconductor band 41 into circuit closing position with contacts 4 2 and 44to energize lamps 3| as well as to energize motor 3 and motor 8oscillates shafts 9 and I3 to swing lamp housings from side to sidewhile the lamps remain energized.

When a stationary signal is desired, motor it is cut olf by movingswitch 45 inwardly until con ductor band 4' breaks the circuit atcontact M, cutting off center plate 33, while contact 4. re mainsengaged with band 4-? to retain the lamps energized and the engagementof contact aa w th plates 3'? and 39 continues to rotate shalt is til,contact 35 reaches dead plate 38 to out off the motor and the shaft l3and lamps Eithen re main stationary and with the lamps pointing in apredetermined direction. a

In view of the foregoing description taizen in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding oftnedevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even. though there is herein shownand described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and within the scope of the appended i ingdescribed the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A trafiic warning signal comprising a motor having an oscillatingshaft, a lamp operatively connected to said shaft for swinging movementthereby, a plurality of conductor plates mounted on a supportingstructure in co-planar spaced apart relation from each other, c rcuitmeans electrically connecting each of said conductor plates to a sourceof power, a contact connected to the lamp and supported by the shaft forswin ing movement thereby in wiping engagement with the plates, meanselectrically connecting sa d contact to said motor, and a switchconnected in said circuit means leading to said plates for selectivelycutting off at least one of the plates to stop said motor and todeactuate the shaft for holding the lamp facing in a predetermined direction when said contact engages said one of said plates.

2. A traffic warning signal comprising a motor housing, a motor in thehousing, an oscillating shaft driven by the motor and risin from thehousing, a lamp supported at the top of the shaft for horizontalswinging movement, a plurality of conductor plates secured in thehousing in coplanar spaced apart relation from each other and connectedin individual circuits to a source of power, a contact connected to themotor and supported by the shaft for oscillating movement therewith inwiping engagement with the plates. and switch means for said circuitsfor selectively cutting on and off the circuit for at least one of theplates to stop said motor and to deactuate the shaft for holding thelamp facing in a predetermined direction when said contact engages said.one of said plates while maintaining the circuit for the lamp closed.

3. In a traffic warning signal, a motorhousing, a motor mounting platesecured to the under side of the top of the housing in spaced re lationtherefrom for supporting an oscillating motor in the housing, a verticalshaft having its lower end secured to the shaft of the motor, a lampsupported at the upper end of the shaft for horizontal swingingmovement, a contact connected to the motor and supported by the shaft ata position within the motor housing for hori: zontal swinging movementby the shaft, a plurality of conductor plates supported in a fixedposition on the motor mounting plate in wiping en gagement by thecontact, said plates being individually connected in a circuit with apower source, and switch means controlling the circuit to one of saidplates to selectively cut on and oil the motor when said contact engagessaid one of said plates while the lamp remains energized.

l. The combination of claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned switch meansis actuatable to deenergize said lamp.

WALTER F. GINSBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,787,382 Jones Dec. 30, 1930 1,895,669 Kolsters Jan. 31, 19332,235,181 Thiel Mar. 18, 1941 2,417,934 Kennelly Mar. 25, 1947 2,460,585Kennelly l Feb. 1, 1949 2,508,071 Martin et al. May 16, 1950

